The White Jade Token, Part Two

An elder with a youthful face and white hair, accompanied by a young man, also entered the auction venue.

The elder had a ruddy complexion and walked with a sprightly gait; his physique was even more robust than that of the younger generation commonly seen in society. The young man followed behind the elder, looking around curiously as if he were very interested in the place.

"Zhan'er, don't get distracted by these worldly things," the elder said calmly.

The young man immediately lowered his head, his brow furrowed, and he restrained his gaze with reverence. However, he had been following the elder for more than just a day or two, and their bond was deep. Thus, he quickly smiled and said, "Master, after we get the 'Supreme Jade Emperor's Heart Seal Subtle Scripture' token later, if there's still time, can your disciple look around?"

The elder suddenly glared at the young man, causing the young man's heart to race. The elder then said, "You unworthy disciple, how many times have I warned you not to be ostentatious? Time is filled with demons and monsters, spirits and specters. That Jade Token is of great importance. If even a whisper leaks out..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young man solemnly continued, "If word leaks out, it will surely attract the covetousness of those demonic and heretical cultivators. The martial world will be plunged into a sea of blood, and we won't be able to cultivate in peace and tranquility! Master, did I recite that correctly?"

"Noisy!" the elder grunted. "From now on, shut your mouth and silently recite the sect's Heart Sutra one hundred times."

The young man opened his mouth... but couldn't utter a sound. However, he truly dared not disobey his master's command. He could only lower his head and follow, silently reciting the sect's Heart Sutra, which he had long grown tired of.

Just then, a flustered man in his thirties, wearing old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses, suddenly collapsed in front of them—falling directly towards the elder.

The elder's eyes and hands were quick, and he nimbly supported the man. He saw that the man's eyes were tightly shut, his face was pale, and he was covered in a cold sweat.

The elder frowned, reached out his palm, and pressed it against the man's back, while simultaneously applying firm pressure to the philtrum of the man's face.

The man soon regained consciousness. "I... what happened to me?"

"Your internal Qi suddenly became chaotic, and your spirit, energy, and essence became uncontrollable. If it weren't for this old Daoist... if it weren't for me, you would have been seriously ill at the very least." The elder had already stood up.

The man indeed felt a warm current flowing into his body. The splitting headache he had felt was relieved, and he quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, old sir. Thank you, old sir."

After speaking, the man hurriedly walked into the main hall of the auction.

"What kind of person is that? We saved him, and he just ran off without saying a word?" the young man, who couldn't stand it, said indignantly.

The elder said indifferently, "Have you finished reciting the Heart Sutra?"

"N-no... I'll recite it right away, I'll recite it now..." The young man quickly shut his mouth.

The elder, as if nothing had happened, slowly walked into the venue.

"Miss, the deposit of 150,000 has been successfully held. If you do not purchase any items at this auction, it will be fully refunded. This is your bidding number; please keep it safe. Also, this is one of the original copies of the auction guarantee agreement you signed; please keep it safe as well. And this is my card. If you need anything, Miss, you can contact me at any time."

You Ye nodded, calmly accepted the receipt and documents from the man who claimed to be the auction house manager, but kept his card and turned to leave.

A young female receptionist accompanying the staff lowered her head and chuckled inwardly, thinking that this woman was incredibly beautiful. The clothes she wore, unless one had specialized knowledge of fashion, would make it impossible to tell they were new releases from a renowned international brand's Spring/Summer collection this year.

If nothing else, just that simple shoulder bag was enough for the manager's salary for the past six months. Why would she be interested in a greasy, pig-headed man like him?

She just wondered who the young man waiting not far away was, the one who could make this cold woman reveal a gentle and captivating smile.

He didn't look like the young master of a wealthy family. Could he be a kept man? That didn't seem right either.

The female receptionist fell into her own thoughts. The fat manager, having been rejected, slammed the table forcefully. "Xiao Wang! I'm going out for a bit. You take care of things here! Don't mess anything up!"

"Okay, Manager," Xiao Chen replied quickly. But as the manager turned away, he rolled his eyes and thought to himself: I heard that the beauty from Gu Yue Zhai is also coming today. Looking at her appearance, she probably wants to get close to her too... Just a pig's head, doesn't he even know his own worth?

However, Xiao Chen didn't think much about his own worth either. With thick foundation covering his fair skin, he greeted everyone with a smile.

You Ye had already walked up to Luo Qiu, who was waiting, and asked softly, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, I just saw an interesting scene," Luo Qiu smiled and recounted the story of an old man helping and saving another man. "I don't know what happened, but that man seemed very nervous. But that old man, is he a traditional Chinese medicine doctor? Perhaps his massage skills are particularly impressive?"

"It might be a technique passed down in the East called 'Qi'," You Ye said softly.

Luo Qiu had originally intended to ask in surprise if qigong really existed in this world. But considering the existence of the Club, and the butterfly yokai and mantis yokai he had just encountered, qigong didn't seem like such a big deal. So, he changed his question to, "Are there many people who know qigong?"

"It's 'Qi'," You Ye corrected him. "To be precise, it's 'Cultivating and Manipulating Qi,' which is different from the qigong passed down among the common folk. As for how many there are, it's hard to say. However, I once heard an Eastern cultivator who had visited the Club say that cultivators today are all in the minor branches, far inferior to those of the past. There are probably only a few hundred left, and many traditions have disappeared amidst the changes of history."

Luo Qiu smiled and said, "That's probably similar to traditional crafts, lost to time."

"Master, it's almost time for the auction to begin. Shall we go in?" You Ye reminded him.

Luo Qiu checked the time and said, "Alright... By the way, how much was the deposit they said we had to pay?"

You Ye smiled and said, "Not much. It's not even enough to buy a spoonful of caviar that Master usually eats."

"Is that so..." Luo Qiu nodded, not having much of a concept.

Although caviar is often used in high-end restaurants, it is also sold in regular packaging in the market. To be honest, Luo Qiu, who didn't have much research in these matters, only had a general idea.

This deposit seemed quite reasonable...

Luo Qiu reached into his pocket and felt the white jade token he carried with him. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt it seemed to have warmed up as he entered the auction hall.

He intended to take it out and examine it properly, but at that moment, he felt a sense of unease. He turned to look around and saw that someone was staring intently at him.

If he remembered correctly, it was the man who had just been rescued by the elder.